Advertising street and station indicator.



No. 692,923. Patented Feb. ll, I902.

. J. H. SHEPARD. ADVERTISING STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

(Application filed. June 22, 1901.)

2 Sheet s-Sheet 1.

(Nu Model.)

Patented Feb. ll, I902.

. J. H. SHEPARD.

G STREET AND STATION lNDIGATOB.

(Application Medium: 22, 1901.)

ADVERTISIN kNo Model.) 2 Sheecs$heef 2.

UNITED STATES "ATE'NT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. SHEPARD, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

ADVERTISING STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,92 dated- February1902- Application filed June 22, l 90l.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. SHEPARD, gentleman, of the city of Torontoin the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Advertising Street and StationIndicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in advertising street and stationindicators, and the object of the invention is to devise astation-indicator in whichan advertisement may be also indicated andwhich is simple, compact, and positive in its action, not liable to getout of order, and in which the streets will appear in accurate rotation;and it consists, essentially, of a street-indicator comprising a frameand operating wheel and shaft, a counter-shaft, a plurality ofsprocket-wheels on the shaft and counter-shaft, and chains or cordsextending therebetween and carrying flaps close together and aflap-controlling device for the flaps, so as to permit them to drop, theparts being arranged and constructed in detail, as hereinafter moreparticularly explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved street or stationindicator. Fig. 2 is a cross-section showing the flap-controllingdevice. Fig. 3 is a detail of the sprocket wheel and chain, showing theconnection of the flap to the chain.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in each figure.

A is the rectangular frame of the machine, andBis the maindriving-shaft,which is journaled in suitable bearings in the cross-barsb at the end of the machine. The ends of the shaft B are provided withcollars b',into which extend the ends of the adjusting-screws O, whichalso extend through brackets c, attached to the end cross-bar. The endbar I) is provided with a slot in order to permit of the adjustment ofthe shaft to and from the counter-shaft D. This is the usual form ofadjustment and is designed for tightening the sprocket-chains, which Ishall presently describe. The counter-shaft D is provided with two ormore sprocket-wheels D and D at each end, which carry thesprocket-chains d and d, which extend to sprocket-wheels 13 Serial No.65,6 83. (N0 model.)

on the ends of the main shaft B. The links of the sprocket-chains dand dhave connected to the cross-bars the tails 2, which are riveted to theflaps A at each end, as indicated.

I providea double set of chains opposite each end of the flaps A, sothat I can place the flaps closer together, as it will be readily seenthat the flaps instead of being the disthe number of stations or streetsit is desired,

to indicate. It will thus be seen that the number of flaps may beincreased without increasing the size of the frame. It will beunderstood that the flaps are cut away inorder to bring them down closeto the chains and provide a maximum amount of space for the insertion ofthe name of a street on one side and an advertisement on the oppositeside.

I provide the following mechanism for carrying the flaps forward:

E is a ratchet-wheel secured on the end of the shaft B, inside the bar12.

F is an arm pivotally. held at the forward end on the shaft B, and G isa lever-pawl pivoted on the pin 9 at the rear end of the arm F. Thefront end of the lever-pawl G meshes with the ratchet-wheel, and therear end extends to the rear of the frame between the stop-pins 3 and 4.The rear end of the leverpawl G has connected to it a cord or chain H,which passes upwardly over a pulley I, supported in suitable journals tothe rear of the frame. The lower end of the cord II may be extendedthrough to the floor of the car and h is aspring pressing against thelever-pawl G and designed to hold such lever-pawl in engagement with theratchet-wheel E.

J is a holdfast-pawl, which also engages with the ratchet-wheel and issuitably spring held.

Each of the flaps A is provided with a notch a, which in each succeedingflap is arranged zigzag as to the preceding onethat is to say, so as toleave no line of notches opposite each other, but always have the notchof, each succeeding flap extend across the space of the preceding one,as clearly indicated. The flaps necessarily follow each other veryclosely, and the reason of this arrangement of the notches will beunderstood when it is seen that I have to provide means whereby when oneflap falls of its own gravity the other will be held up. For thispurpose, therefore, I provide the following simple mechanism:

K is a lever provided with a roller 70, which comes substantiallyopposite the center of each flap A, such roller and the lever extendingforwardly of the inclined position of the flap as it passes around theen (1 of the sprocketwheels D and D L is a wheel secured on the end ofthe shaft and provided with broad V-shaped faceteeth Z.

M is a spring secured to a suitable portion of the frame and havingsecured at the end thereof a roller m, which is held in engagement withthe face-teeth of the wheel.

0% is a link connecting the end of the spring M with the lever K.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Upon it being desired toturn up a street the cord H is pulled down bya motorman or conductor, asthe case may be, and the lever-pawl G is given a forward throw, limited,of course, by the stop-pin 3, and thereby turns the wheel E forward thespace of one tooth, the spring forcing the lever-pawl back against thestoppin 4, so that it comes opposite the base of the next succeedingtooth. As there are as many teeth and bases of teeth in the wheel L asthere are in the wheel E, it will be seen that upon the flap A beingcaused to move forward one space the lever K will be given a sidewisemovement opposite one notch a and allow the corresponding flap to dropthrough the corresponding notch, and instead of showing the streetshowing the reverse side and the advertisement. When the Wheel E isgiven the next forward movement, so as to throw the next flap forward,it will be seen that the roller 'm will have fallen into a depression,and consequently the next flap will fall. It will therefore beunderstood that before such action has taken place the roller K willhave come opposite the space on the flap next the notch, and therebyhold back such flap prior to the next succeeding movement. It will nowbe understood that upon each movement the roller M will rise and fall onthe face-teeth Z, and consequently derstood that such mechanism will beinclosed in a suitable casing with an open front, so that both the nameof the street and the advertisement below will appear, thus providing avery effectual, simple, and cheap advertising device.

What I claim as my invention is 1. Inastreet and station indicator, thecombination with the frame,main shaft and counter-shaft suitablyjournaled therein, of the sprocket-wheels on the ends of the main shaftand the sprocket-wheels on the ends of the counter-shaft and thesprocket-chains connecting the same, and the flaps having the edgenotches arranged in zigzag fashion as to each adjacent flap but oppositeeach other as to each alternate flap, the connecting-tails secured tothe flaps and to the cross-bars of the links, means for impartingmovement to the main shaft, a lever for controlling said flaps, saidlever provided with an end roller designed to project in front of thenotches in the flaps and means connected to the main shaft for impartinga lateral movement to the lever and consequently the roller as and forthe purpose specified.

2. In astreet and station indicator,the combination with the frame,mainshaft and counter-shaft suitably journaled therein, of thesprocket-wheels on the ends of the main shaft and the sprocket-wheels onthe ends of the counter-shaft, and the sprocket-chains c011- necting thesame, and the flaps having the edge notches arranged in zigzag fashionas to each adjacent flap but opposite each other as to each alternateflap, the connecting-tails secured to the flaps and to the cross-bars ofthe links, means for imparting movement to the main shaft, a lever forcontrolling said flaps, said lever provided with an end roller designedto project in front of the notches in the flaps, the wheel secured onthe end of the shaft provided with face-teeth, the spring provided witha roller engaging with such teeth and the link connecting such spring tothe lever as and for the purpose specified.

'3. The combination with the main shaft and a pair of sprocket-wheelssecured at each end of the main shaft, and the counter-shaft, and thesprocket-chains connecting the same and the flaps connected to thecross-bars of the outer sprocket-chain and an intermediate set of flapsconnected to the cross-bars of the inner sprocket-chains, which lattercross-bars are situated intermediately of the length of the cross-barsof the outer sprocket-chains as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the main shaft and counter-shaft and sprocketand sprocketchains and flaps secured to the sprocketratchet-Wheel as andfor the purpose speciohains, of a ratchet-Wheel secured in the end ofthe main shaft, the arm pivoted at one end on the main shaft, thelever-pawl pivoted on the end of the arm, the stop-pins for limiting thepawl movement and means for raising the pawl so as to give astep-Iikemovement to the fied.

JOSEPH H. SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

B. BOYD, R. SHIELDS.

